The man I need
by GarrusGirl
Summary: A short, one chapter long, new ending for Mockingjay. Contains spoilers. Instead of Peeta, Katniss ends up with Gale. Rated T for violence. Please review and enjoy!


_Please Read; I decided to write this story because I love the Hunger Games trilogy. I read all three books in under two weeks, and at the end of it I was really disappointed in how Mockingjay ended. I thought it was a little rushed, and *SPOILERS* I always wanted Katniss to get with Gale, but she got with Peeta. So then I decided to write a new ending where Katniss and Gale get together, still though I tried to keep how the original ending felt and how it was written. With just a bit more detail. Anyway if you like this then feel free to read my Mass Effect story called He's my turian. Please enjoy and review._

_..._

...I_ volunteer for tribute..._

If I had never spoken those words maybe everything would have been different. Maybe Prim would have survived the games without my help, instead of dying the way she did, just trying to help the hurt. Or maybe the rebellion and war would have never started. Katniss the girl who was on fire. The Mockingjay. Really, all I am is a laughing-stock, a person who has to many deaths on her conscience to ever lead a normal life.

I lay on my bed, half in-between sleep and wake, as the sun starts to rise and light up my room. My fingers reach out for Prim, like they did before, but I can only feel the coolness of my sheets. My stomach grumbles from hunger, though I'm used to going without food for hours, days even. So I stay in bed.

"Hey, Catnip."

That voice, I would know that voice anywhere. The hours we spent together in the woods, the time spent trading in the Hob. Then there was also the time spent war planning and killing the opposing force, and when we both argued until it hurt to talk.

My reaction is instant. I prop myself up into the sitting position and swing my legs over the bed. Gale's smile turns quickly to horror when he realizes I'm not running into his open arms. I smash square into his chest and try to dig my fingernails into his pretty face. He grabs both of my wrists with his strong hands and easily holds me back. Even though I know its useless, that he is too strong to try to attack, I still try to claw out his eyes. A scream starts to form in the back of my throat, as that old fire inside of my chest starts to jump out. I haven't felt that fire, that anger, for the longest of times.

"Get _out!"_ I roar. Tears that I thought wouldn't be there start to sting at the back of my eyes. "I don't care why you're here!_ Go away!"_

"That's enough!" Gale booms right back meeting me head on like he always does. "I came here for a reason!" Then he gives me a little shove, and I stagger backwards like a drunk. I still feel like ripping his face off, but I know I can't hurt him physically, so instead I switch to using my words.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me what to do! You're the reason Prim is _dead!"_

Its like I slapped him in the face. Before I know what is happening Gale, one of the strongest people I know, begins to cry. My anger is all but gone as I stare wildly at him, and for the first time I notice all the details that I missed before. His pale skin, the dirty clothes, how much weight he has lost. Gale is nothing more than a pure mess.

"That's why I came back here, why I came all the way from District 2, and why I don't ever want to go back."

"To gloat? To be a big hero around here?" I snap back at him not even trying to hold my tongue back.

"No... Katniss," Gale sighs and sadly shakes his head. "I came back to apologize, to say I'm sorry." I don't know how to respond. One thing I would never expect Gale to do is stuff his pride and apologize for anything. "I know its my fault Prim died, that it was my idea, and now I have to live with it for the rest of my life."

I don't think my legs can support my weight so I take a seat on the edge of my bed. Everything is wrong. Gale was supposed to stay in Two with his big fancy job, find some nice girl to marry, and live happily ever after. He wasn't supposed to come back here and ask for forgiveness. A moment passes, Gale then too walks over to where I am sitting and takes a seat next to me, as he wipes away his tears.

"I can't go back to Two, all they want me to do is create more toys and fancy ways to kill people," A shudder runs through his body. "Do you remember how I promised I would watch over your family when you volunteered for tribute?" I barely nod. "I broke that promise," he whispers. "I was supposed to take care of them, and I ended up killing one. It's why I left for Two, without really a word or good-bye, I wouldn't be able to look you in the eye."

It hits me then, all this time I had thought Gale had just run off to be a big shot, or because I now thought he was better than me. Really though, he had disappeared because he blamed himself for the death of Prim.

"Then why are you here?" I ask still confused.

"I can't just leave things the way they are!" Gale snaps. "Never talking to you again, never seeing you again, and never getting the chance to apologize for what happened."

I sit there letting everything he says sink in, I'm so deep in thought that I barely realize Gale has placed both of his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. I feel the warmth of his body, his breath, I look into the eyes I memorized so clearly.

"I'm _sorry._ I wish I could take it all back. I wish that _none_ of this had happened, and that me and you were still just hunting buddies looking for game in the woods. I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend when you needed me, and that I had been there for you. It's my fault that Prim is gone, I'm sorry. Everyday that passes I wake up and_ blame_ it all on myself."

That old anger in my chest begins to surface once again, but only now do I realize that it wasn't rage, it was pain and sorrow. Instead of punching Gale like the old Katniss would have, I finally let myself cry. I cry for Prim, I cry for having to go through the Hunger Games, I cry for all the people who I have killed and all the friends that I have lost. The burden of being the symbol for the rebellion was like nothing I have ever felt. The knowledge that friends and family could be killed or tortured at the hands of the Capitol and there wasn't anything I could do drove me to the brink of insanity. Going through the Games over and over put a weight on my mind that I still can't get rid of. All the death, loss, nightmares, and failures have scarred me. It is all I can do but cry.

Rocking me back and forth with his strong arms, Gale holds me until there is nothing in my body or soul to cry about, and even after everything he still holds me. I rest my head on his shoulder as the world around us goes by.

"There was another reason I came back," he whispers unsteadily into my ear. I hear his heart beat start to pound harder. "Do you remember the time I told you I minded if someone else was interested in you?" I can't talk, but I nod my head lightly, so Gale continues on. "Katniss, no matter what seems to happen, I'm always going to mind what happens to you. I should try to forget you, but I think that's impossible, because you are unforgettable."

I pull back from our embrace and stare Gale directly in the eye. Everything about his face screams that he is telling the truth. I can't help but remember how he told Peeta that I would end up with the person I needed. Me and Gale have been through so much, I took a literal whiplash for this boy, and at the end of the day I can't think of a person that knows me better. He knows how to push just the right buttons to get me going, knows what to say when I'm mad to calm me down. Gale has been there through the beginning, and now he wants me til the end.

We both know what its like to go through the loss of a parent, what its like to have to raise a family all alone. Me and Gale have gone through so much together now, that I can't think of going through the next day without him. Those hours in the woods was the happiest times of my life, it was because of Gale, and plus hunting partners are hard to find and replace. I do _need_ Gale, I will _always_ need Gale. I don't know much about love, but I do know that it can't start without a push, or if you are always trying to get rid of it. So when Gale stares at me silently waiting for my response, I press my lips gently on his, and for the first time I let him kiss me.

I let the feelings inside of my heart come forward, and its incredible. It isn't just a warmth, it's a burning blaze of passion. The fire inside of both of us comes together as one, mixing together to make an explosion like no other. I don't try to fight it like I did from the start, I don't try to think about who this might hurt. I just simply kiss Gale, because he is all I need, all I will ever need.

...

The years go past in a blur, but most of the moments are full of bliss. Of course me and Gale fought, all couples fight, no relationship is perfect. The smoldering inside of both of us sometimes just has to be released, but after each passionate fight, comes an equally passionate make-up. No one else can make me feel the way Gale makes me feel, sometimes blind with murderous rage, other times head over heals in love. We can both bring out the best and worse in each other, and I love that.

Our home will and forever always be in District 12, we grew up here, and this is the place where we too stay and raise our family. We spend the day's hunting, gathering, and helping the town grow and re-build. More people show up everyday to start a life in twelve, most come from thirteen since this District was there original home. Me and Gale want to make sure that one day twelve becomes better than it ever was before. Not just for our children, but so that no one will ever grow up hungry here again.

Speaking of children, I still can't believe Gale talked me into having them. It took years for him to convince me, but in the end he was right. We don't live in the same time that we did when we were kids. There is no more Hunger Games, no more fear that our children will get picked for the reaping, no more unjust society and corrupt government. Food and resources are given throughout the Districts, no more peacekeepers forcing strict law on everyone, and not all the wealth is going to one place. Instead of being thought propoganda at school, children are educated and given a choice about what they want to do when they grow up. Students are also thought about the Games, so that it never happens again. The best thing is nearly no one goes hungry now, everyone gets treated the same. Statues of past winners and losers became constructed and put up as memorials over all the Districts, in remembrance. There is now even a day meant only to remember the Games. How they were a mistake, and how we must grow from them. I even have a fair bit in the history books now, I guess I'm just going to always be a legend, whether I like it or not.

...

At first, I was still against the idea of having a family. My gut told me it was a bad idea, but Gale knew me better than that. He knew the only reason I was afraid was because I thought I wouldn't be a good mother, but when I felt my first-born stirred inside of me for the first time, and when I held him in my arms close enough to feeling his heart beat all of those worries faded away. For the longest time in my life all I could do was take life, not create it, but the instincts of being a parent just seemed to come naturally to me. Just like they did to Gale. Now I can't imagine life without any of them, I wouldn't be complete.

As my small family of me, Gale, and our three children grow I can't help but look back. Peeta was heartbroken about the news of me and Gale, but after a year or two, he moved away from twelve. That of course though was after he and Delly Cartwright got married, and decided it would be better for their expectant child to grow up in a city. We both still keep in contact, mostly through conversations on the phone, or letters I send him thanking him for the newest picture he painted and sent to me. I'm happy that he found someone who would truly and always love him.

Other friends of mine faded away though, mostly because of what the war had done to them, and how old faces reminded them to much of everything that had gone down. They needed a fresh start. Most moved to new Districts, had families, lost contact with me. I understand, talking about the past is the hardest thing that I know how to do. The only other person besides Peeta that I really keep in contact with is Haymitch. Not that I had much choice since he lives across the street, and that all of my children absolutely adore him and find him hilarious. They even call him Uncle from time to time. Haymitch became and still is one of the main people who is trying to fix and re-build the District so it was even better than before. At least it keeps him busy, and stops him from drinking his sorrows away like before.

Even though everything sounds perfect, it really can never be. After the war and Games, I know I will never be the same. Sometimes the oddest things make me burst out crying, sometimes I can't sleep because of the images inside of my mind, or the nightmares are too strong. Gale just holds me through it, never letting me go, until I'm back to normal. Without him I would never be strong enough to get back to being whole, and then I have my children too. I have to be strong for them, I must always protect them, it's just the person I am. I will fight for them, for Gale, again and again. No matter the cost, because they mean the world to me, and because I am Katniss. The girl who was on fire, the girl who started and finished the war, the girl who changed Panem forever.


End file.
